1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to fill and drain fittings which are designed to be fitted within a flood table used in hydroponic growing.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
In hydroponic growing operations, water is typically pumped from a reservoir into a hydroponic flood table which holds the plants. However, the water level in the flood table must not exceed a specified height, otherwise the plants within the flood table will drown and die. Therefore, a draining device must be in place to ensure that the water level does not reach unintended heights which may cause damage to the plants within the table.
However, it is desirable to be able to alter the height of the water level within the hydroponic flood table, to suit one's particular needs. Conventional prior art “fill and drain” fittings require the user to attach or detach one or more modular extensions, which are similar to plumbing couplings, in order to raise or lower a strainer on a drain fitting of the flood table, in order to adjust and maintain the desired water level.
A conventional prior art fill and drain fitting assembly includes a fill fitting assembly which allows water to be pumped into the hydroponic flood table and a drain fitting assembly which allows excess water in the flood table to drain out, so that the plants do not drown. Particularly, the conventional prior art drain fitting assemblies include a strainer and one or more modular couplings disposed beneath the strainer. The modular couplings are fitted into the drain fitting and stacked atop of each other, in order to determine the water level at which the flood table will start to drain. A strainer is received on top of the one or more modular couplings and secured via a friction fit, in order to drain water which is above the water level set by the modular couplings. However, it is advantageous to provide a drain fitting which is simpler than the prior art arrangements and eliminates the need for a plurality of modular couplings to adjust the water level in the hydroponic flood table.
While the prior art discloses many types of fill and drain fitting assemblies, so far as is known, none of these assemblies resolve these problems in a simple, effective and highly advantageous manner, as in the present invention.